Remains
Tyrants (Second Series) Tyrants ' Issue 1- "Remains."' Front cover- Kaan'Qsst stands front and centre, in his Blitzkrieg-absorbed form. Kaan'Qsst is about seven feet in height, with an incredibly broad chest and a matching face of width that does not fit human features. He has small spikes at the bottom of his elongated cheeks and two small stubbed horns at the top corners of his almost square face, with a elongated jaw-line and comparitively small red eyes, which currently burn with different energies as Blitzkrieg's do. His normally green skin is black metal, like Blitzkrieg's, and his massive, cumbersome hands also have claws like Blitzkrieg. Narration- "Four Years Ago," The issue opens with a cumbersomely large, green, four finger hand hovering over the inert body of Blitzkrieg. In the next panel, the hand presses down. In the next panel, the green hand has turned to black metal. In the following panel, in this opening four panelled page, the hand lifts, to show the hand-print in Blitzkrieg's chest plating. "The purpose of your alliance has served its use Blitzkrieg, but your abilities will have uses of their own, in my hands" says a speech bubble, which has a green background, with black lettering. On the next page is a full page spread with Kaan'Qsst, now looking more akin to Blitzkrieg, lightning crackling along his hands, as the issue title 'Remains' appears at the bottom of the screen in green lettering. "I would dispatch you permanently. But I have other matters to deal with." On the next page, a long panel goes down the side, showing Kaan'Qsst running up the side of a building, a lightning streak running behind him. On the panel which covers the rest of the page, his back is shown to the reader as he looks across the ravaged landscape of Titan City after the Tyrants concerted attacks. "This city has been battered. It's people's will crushed. A rebuilding is in order if my army against the Kraan is to be completed..." Not so far away, the sky rips open with a massive purple energy distortion, about 500ft feet in height, appearing among the ruins of fallen buildings. In a small panel on this otherwise single panelled page, Kaan'Qsst's eyes glow black. "No... it can't be. Not now!" Out of the portal pour hundreds of Kraan warships, resembling huge flying cockroach type vessels, with bright red shells reflecting the sun dramatically, and sets of four mechanical legs hanging underneath, the streams of plasma jets propelling them projecting from the underbelly. "Teleportation? Clearly the Overmind has advanced the Kraan more than I ever could have believed..." Kaan'Qsst runs along the roof that he is on, and leaps off. Several panels show him running and leaping his way towards the surprise invasion. Blitzkrieg stands as the hand print in his chest disappears. And looks up to see Wrench. Wrench's large spectacles have been cracked, his nose shattered, blood dripping from it, making the already short, ugly, middle aged man look even uglier. He is dressed in a wide brimmed hat and long hanging trench coat, with shirt and trousers underneath, all black. "Ah Wrench, I see you are still vith me. Now is time to continue with the next stage of my plan. Come." He holds out his hand, which Wrench takes, as they disappear with a lightning streak. Kaan'Qsst speeds across a rooftop, throwing a lightning bolt upwards. The bolt bounces off of a force-field. "Force-fields?" His eyes glow black again. "This is not the invasion, these vessels are... from 21 years from now. But still..." the comic zooms in on his eyes, menace in them "I can still enjoy some good Kraan slaughtering. Kaan'Qsst leaps off a building and runs down into the streets. He runs into a mass of Kraan soldiers; they are eight foot tall, with two sets of multiple of tiny red eyes on broad, mandibled insectile heads with two huge scything claw arms, two lower, smaller arms with manipulative fingered hands and two stub ended, broad, heavily armoured, legs, and cybernetic plasma cannons attached to the hips. In several panels, Kaan'Qsst cleaves them into pieces. The comic cuts to the well dressed velociraptor, Cut-throat Cain, flying ahead on pterodactyl wings, as pterodactyls fly in the sky behind him, projecting out sonic energy cones, and destroying warships in the background, attack helicopters firing out sprees of missiles, and huge, white skinned brachiosauri stomp along, using their tall necks to freeze massive amounts of warships, as they crash to the ground and shatter. Sven Skullcrusher, the tall, massively muscular Viking, formerly in a smart suit that is now torn to shreds, showing his over stimulated muscle further, tears heads off of Kraan soldiers with his battle-axe. There is a panel of the well-dressed, well groomed, but facially forgettable Rook, sat in an armoured van, looking at his black mask with the white rook on the front in his hands. The Dark Magician, his back to the reader, only able to see his long black robe and long hair flowing down his back, sits on a roof edge watching the battle, legs dangling down, saying 'Oh, sweet, sweet chaos." The comic shows dozens upon dozens of mutilated Kraan bodies, hacked into pieces, many burned horribly. The werewolf super-hero, King Claw, bends over them, and sniffs. "Just as we thought. Blitzkrieg." A shadow stood over him says "Of course. Blitzy wants to conquer the bloody world. He won't let anybody else do it for him." "You could say the same for our new... 'allies'" he says with a growl. The comic shows Tommy Gunn in his British Flag themed, super-adaptable power armour. "Bast was on your team." "Yes, and now she's disappeared." "But she helped, us in the end. So did Le Qui. Heck, he's actually on the team." "Team Titan Black is not our team. Their background is awash with bloodshed and treachery, Tommy. And they were heroes... mostly. What do you think we will recieve from Cain and these other villains?" "Look, the city's in ruins. We need all the help we can rebuilding, and though the GSPD can help, they've got their own troubles too. We need to do this ourselves. And most of the Tyrants were being used." King Claw stands up, his full height coming close to matching Tommy's suit. "They may have not intended a demon army, but they still sought to break our city apart. They have succeeded. This is no reason to give them mercy." "Look, Rook helped ruin my company, All my employees gone, my name discredited. In space, and here, most people hate the Gunn name, and its not my fault. But at the same time, guy's got super-strength, and we have rubble to move. Thats as much thought as it requires, right now." Tommy Gunn launches himself into the air. King Claw looks up and calls "And what happens when they betray you, what will you say then?" "Something witty as I can take 'em down, like always!" Tommy yells back, as he flies off. King Claw shakes his head. "I wish I shared your confidence, my friend." He looks at the mess of Kraan corpses around him, with human ones as well, as he lifts up some Kraan pieces. "But I come from a world where there were no good old days to go back to... and this all seems rather familiar." The comic cuts to Cut-Throat Cain, Sven Skullcrusher and Rook, both of the latter without their weapons, stood in a ruined city street. Citizen Titan and Obsidian (the original Citizen Titan, still dressed in his blue jumpsuit and lack of face mask, his costume as Warden of the Omega Institute), stand behind them, arms folded. The comic cuts to show Director Waterstone standing in front of them, Mr Psychic stood behind her, arms also folded, looking particularly peeved towards Cut-Throat Cain. "Okay Tyrants, here is the deal. Due to aiding us against both the demon army and the Kraan, you are officially being put on temporary community service, until we can organise a proper trial... since our city is in ruins, and we have no courts to speak of. Also due to the contribution of your actions. When sufficient rebuilding is underway, I will organise to take you to the mainland for proper trial. How well you help us here, will of course have an impact on your trial. You will each be assigned a Team Titan member as your supervisor, to ensure you cooperate with us effectively, whilst we are undergoing rescue operations. Cain, you will be assigned Mr Psychic. Sven, you will be assigned Obsidian and Rook, Citizen Titan. All your Ultrasaurs, Cain, will also be assigned a hero, along with your squads. For accomodation, you'll have the hospitaility of Titan Bluff's nullifier cells to enjoy. Any questions?" The comic cuts to show a flying fortress island, with huge skyscrapers buildings, swashtika flags upon them, as Blitzkrieg and Wrench walk through the 'streets' of the base, where the occasional gigantic, swashtika daubed, black shelled Reichdroid stomps past. "So, whats the plan now, says Wrench?" "With your aid, Wrench, I am now able to achieve vat I have strived for for a good long time now. I am a step closer to bringing humanity towards perfection... my perfection." "Your going to turn everyone into machines?" "No. No, not yet, at least. But nontheless, zere salvation lies in ze machine." "How so?" "Ze nanobots, Wrench. Ze dispersal device ve used? Effective, yes?" "Up to the point where Tyrant took us out, yes." "Out, but not down, my friend. Of course, ze control mechanism is not perfect.... but you are a smart man yes, and I, a genius. And in zis fortress, cloaked as ve are, ve are not for lack of time. However, I feel ze nanites are vorking as well as ve can effect. The longer we stall, the longer ze heroes have time to find us, and zere revenge." "So what? We use more nanites? Take control." "Yesssss." The comic zooms in to Blitzkrieg's determined, currently electrical orb eyes. "Of everything." The comic cuts to show a double paged spread of the battle royale against the Overmind and the thousands of Kraan troops pouring through the time portal, as another portal, a blue portal, appears in the sky, and out of it pour super heroes from times gone by, the Justice Juries from the Victorian times up until the Second World War, as well as many other heroes, attacking the Overmind directly, as other Kraan flee the fight.? The comic cuts to show about fifty Kraan soldiers swarming down a street, away from the battle in the background, as the Overmind falls. Human civilians are being shot at as they try to approach the Kraan. A bolt of lightning shoots down a building, striking into the middle of the mass of Kraan as many are cast into the air.? Kaan'qsst hacks and slashes into the mass of Kraan, electricity rippling around him, as Kraan fall from the sky around him. "You fall, monsters, by the hands of one of the last Vor!" Kaan'Qsst fells a circle of Kraan around him, leaving him with a larger circle which cuts loose with plasma bolts. With Blitzkrieg's super-speed, he dodges most of the bolts, but is struck down as glances off the side of his head. Kaan'Qsst lies on the floor, his head smoking, but still slightly raised, to show consciousness, as the shadows cast across him. "In our time, there are no Vor" comes a telepathic speech bubble, followed by 'No Vor!' in other repeated speech bubbles. The comic zooms in on Kaan'Qsst's partially melted face... as he looks up beyond the Kraan, and smiles. "Well you are in -my- time, now."? There are several VREEE sound effects as plasma cannons point at Kaan'Qsst as he is covered with red targetting dots. And then a massive spear crashes through the head of one of the nearest Kraan. Kaan'Qsst runs, as plasma bolts streak past him. A flurry of spears and arrows falls through the air on the Kraan. And then several soldiers turn to stone. Kaan'Qsst causes havoc amidst the Kraan, as several turn outwards to see their new attackers, and are cut down by the Vor. Kaan'Qsst skids to a halt, the Kraan bodies shown behind him, some mutilated and dismembered, several with arrows and spears in them, and five of them statues. Kaan'Qsst in covered in green blood, to the point where he almost looks like his original green-skinned self. Several shadows are cast across him.? "Identify yourself!" a speech bubble calls. "I am Kaan'Qsst. One of the last Vor, born destroyer of the Kraan. Come here long ago to end the threat of the Kraan." In the background, there is a huge THOOOOOOOOOM sound effect, as Kaan'Qsst turns, to see the Overmind fall. "It seems your task is succeeded" says the speech bubble. Kaan'Qsst turns back to the reader and the source of the voices. "No. Their invasion has not even begun. In fact, that was its last vestiges, if you will. From this world's future. The true invasion is yet to come." "You wish to fight this invasion?" "It is... what I was created for. Though my creators themselves would deny it. They consider me a mistake. Soon I will finally prove them wrong." "If we let you live." "Why would you not? I have served with your master, Cain. And unlike Myth and Blitzkrieg, I have not betrayed him or our other allies, though we did not begin as such. You aided me against the Kraan. If you had wanted to kill me, you would have let them continue your work." The comic cuts to show the back of Kaan'Qsst's head, in a double paged spread showing the reader what he sees. Standing across the road are several humanoid lizards with varying coloured scales, green, red and yellow, most predominantly, but a variety, all based on different versions of real-life lizards, as opposed to dinosaurs, as would be associated with Cain. Many of them have war paint of differing colours daubed across their faces, the archers wear chainmail, and the spearmen and swordsmen wear plate-mail, and the sword users also have shields with mammilian hides stretched across them. Most of the lizardmen are of typical human size, though few of the warriors stand between seven and eight feet in size. However, speaking for them is their fifteen foor high champion, both hands resting on the bottom of his huge sing-edged battle-axe, the head of which sits on the ground. He has no armour to speak of, and his scales are mostly green, with a few red scales shot through them. Behind the lizardmen is a creature that almost stands as tall as the champion, and is about twice as long as he is tall. The creature, also a lizard, has leg bulky legs, completely white eyes and grey skin.? "We do not serve Cut-throat Cain. We serve the Lord of Dragons, had allied with Cain. But it seems that Cain and his army has betrayed us." "They have simply fought the Kraan as we do. As they fought the demons. These were not threats we had planned for. So they have been destroyed. By us, by Cain and his... men, and by the self-titled... heroes." "Your information is correct, but not entirely correct, oh self-titled 'Conquest.' The one known as Cain as allied with the heroes, not just for the fights now fought. The Tyrants have either surrendered or being captured." Kaan'Qsst looks at his face in his reflective, metallic black skin. "They chose survival. One cannot fault them on this. The Tyrant's work ended with Blitzkrieg and Myth's double crosses." "And it is time for the Lord of Dragons and his kin to take this battered land for ourselves. Will you join with us, Conquest? Will you prove to us your name, as you have at least proved your might here, this day?" "This is not the time for a return strike. Even if you kill Cain's kin, if they defend the humans now as you so believe, they will merely return, and his numbers, I am sure, outstrip yours, even before we include the remaining heroes of this city. Not to mention, the heroes that populate this planet, that will come as well, if you pose large enough threat." "What then, would you have us do? Return to the Ethereal, as cowards?" "It if is battle you seek..." Kaan'Qsst grins "Then battle you shall have. If you can only wait a time." "Warriors do not merely fight their battles. They choose them" says the champion proudly with a chest thump.? "Wisely said. Then you will lie now for now, until the battle I have for you to fight, needs to be fought?" "You are not our lord to command us so. That would be the great Karn-Dasak." Kaan'Qsst gets to one knee before the Champion, not matching his gaze for a moment. "Then let me break with tradition a moment." And then he looks into the Champion's eyes, and the reader's. "Take me to your leader." The comic cuts to King Claw, on all fours, slowly making his way through the city alone, following the trail of the Kraan dead, sniffing. There is a 'grrrrrrrrrr' from the shadows behind him. Without turning, Claw growls "Cat." He spins round as the Siberian tiger leaps at him. "I knew it!" he roars, as he bats the tiger aside, as it smashes into a car. "Feline! BAST! Show y-" The tiger barrels back into King Claw pinning him to the ground, going for his throat. Claw rams both hands into the tiger's mouth, holding the jaws away from his face. "Canine and feline. I suppose this was never going to last, was it Bast?" King Claw kicks the tiger up into the air, as it smashes into the car roof on its back this time, as the windows shatter.? "I helped you. I helped all of you. I brought the army" a speech bubble comes from a rooftop somewhere. "Heck, if it wasn't for me, your team would all be Blitzkrieg's little nano-puppies, doing his bidding. The city would be his." "You saved us, and then you fled. And thats after you betrayed us several times" Claw yells up, approaching a wall, as in the next panel he climbs it with his claws. "I knew about it the whole time. Le Qui told Gunn about you, he told me. I was supposed to keep an eye on you." "Problem with that, Henry" comes the speech bubble from above, as a shadow stretches out below Claw, another speech bubble coming from it "Is I don't stay in the same place for long."? A hand covers out of the shadow and wraps around King Claw's ankle.? The comic cuts to his shocked expression. As then he falls... into the shadow.? He falls the rest of the way to the ground with a CRUNCH. The comic shows his perspective through weary eyes as he looks up at the purple sky. "Bear in mind, I could have sent you somewhere nastier. But we were friends, are friends" comes the voice from above. "I just think you need to learn to trust me. I'm one of the good guys." "Then why did you dump me here!" "Because I'm a good guy, not a hero. I'm not beyond teaching a few self-proclaimed heroes a lesson. Heck, I like teaching anybody a lesson. Have fun, As a werewolf, you'll be right at home in the Ethereal" Bast says, poking her head through the shadow portal about 100ft above. Claw starts climbing the wall "You could have proved me wrong, if what I said was so false-" "I just did." As her head disappears through the portal. "That ISN'T what I m- damn it." A single page shows Claw hanging off the side of the building, looking across Titan City's reflection in the Ethereal.? The city looks the same in the respect of its buildings and the damage done to it, but the sky is purple, and filled with winged creatures of various shapes and sizes, and trees sprout up through the pavement, vines and moss grow along walls and the shadows of many monstrous shapes roam the street. "Well Claw, you just proved why werewolves in the myths don't traditionally talk..." The comic cuts to show Bast sitting on a rooftop, sat beside Dark Magician, the same rooftop he was sat before, legs dangling. Narration- "Two Days Later."? As bombs explode across the city, releasing black clouds across the skyline that from this perspective, look like billions of fly swarms. "Nanites?" asks Bast. "Nanites" says Dark Magician. "Well played, that Nazi robot." Bast says "You know... thats really kind of funny. The heroes have a chance. Because of me." There is a panel at the bottom of the page of Dark Magician putting an arm around Bast's shoulders. "Yes my dear, you are quite the hero." "Well, I suppose you're going to sit here and watch the chaos?" "As always, my dear. I suppose you are now going to be elsewhere?" The second to last panel is of Bast, smiling. "As always. My dear Mittens." In the last panel, Dark Magician sits alone. And laughs.